Tag: research

I recently wrote a blog post for Corymbus on the possibility of writing music history without Beethoven. There's an excerpt below, and the full article can be accessed here. ‘For nearly two centuries’, musicologist Scott Burnham writes in his book Beethoven Hero, ‘a single composer has epitomized musical vitality, becoming the paradigm of Western compositional... Continue Reading →

My essay on Strindberg & 'The Woman Question' is now available from BBC Radio 3. I'm discussing why Strindberg got arrested for blasphemy in 1884, and what relevance that has to Swedish politics today. I also touch on why Strindberg injected morphine into Berlin fruit trees... The talk will be broadcast on Thursday 6th October... Continue Reading →

The next generation of leaders need to step up and shape Brexit’s political void This week has been an immensely emotional and deeply worrying one. I’ve watched with despair as we voted out of a system which, however flawed, sought to protect peace, human rights, the environment, and allow free exchange of people and ideas.... Continue Reading →

I'm absolutely delighted to have been awarded the Observer/Anthony Burgess Prize for Arts Journalism 2015, for an essay on Jean Sibelius's theatre music. The article was a review of a concert given by Pia Freund and Ismo Eskelinen at the Swedish Church in London, performing songs by Sibelius and John Dowland. It can be found... Continue Reading →

As I go through my DPhil, I receive regular emails from my university/funding body encouraging me to embark upon “academic outreach”. Whether it’s pitching for a TV show or setting up a blog, there seems to be no end of encouragement for broadcasting research outside of the university’s ivory tower. And the arguments presented are... Continue Reading →